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This meeting took place in 2019


Here are the related meetings in 2024:
Mammalian Somatosensation: Mechanisms of Itch, Touch, Pain and Interoreception in Health and Disease (Q2)

For a complete list of the meetings for the upcoming/current season, see our meeting list, or search for a meeting.

Mammalian Sensory Systems (C4)


Organizer(s) Stephen Liberles, David D. Ginty, Jeffrey R. Holt and Melanie Samuel
March 15—19, 2019
Allen Institute • Seattle, WA USA
Discounted Abstract Deadline: Nov 28, 2018
Abstract Deadline: Dec 11, 2018
Scholarship Deadline: Nov 28, 2018
Discounted Registration Deadline: Jan 17, 2019

Sponsored by Allen Institute and Merck & Co., Inc.

Summary of Meeting:
Our basic external sensory systems - touch, taste, vision, hearing and smell - enable us to perceive the world around us, and other internal sensory systems enable us to perceive the secret world within us. Recent advances have revealed the molecular logic of how some sensory systems work, while other sensory systems remain uncharted. Fields of sensory biology often maintain separate cultures, and are at varying levels of maturity, with different frontiers, unknowns and perspectives. This conference brings leading experts from different sensory fields together, and reviews conceptual and technical advances achieved in one sensory system that may enable new findings in others. It highlights recent advances in each external sense: vision, olfaction, taste, hearing and touch/pain/temperature sensation, as well as new developments in the emerging field of internal organ sensation. Topics include: 1) Receptors and sensory mechanisms, 2) Neural circuits, 3) Behavioral and physiological responses, and 4) The genetic basis of sensory deficits.

View Scholarships/Awards
No registration fees are used to fund entertainment or alcohol at this conference

Conference Program    Print  |   View meeting in 12 hr (am/pm) time


The meeting will begin on Friday, March 15 with registration from 16:00 to 20:00 and a welcome mixer from 18:00 to 20:00. Conference events conclude on Tuesday, March 19 with a closing plenary session from 12:00 to 19:15, followed by a social hour and entertainment. We recommend return travel on Wednesday, March 20 in order to fully experience the meeting.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

16:00—20:00
Arrival and Registration

Lobby
18:00—20:00
Welcome Mixer
No registration fees are used to fund alcohol served at this function.

Atrium

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

08:00—09:00
Breakfast

Atrium
08:30—09:00
Poster Setup

2nd Floor
09:00—17:00
Poster Viewing

2nd Floor
09:00—10:00
Welcome and Keynote Address

Auditorium
* Stephen Liberles, Harvard Medical School, USA
Session Chair

Richard Axel, Columbia University, USA
Central Representations of Odors

10:00—13:00
Structure and Function of Chemoreceptors

Auditorium
* Stephen Liberles, Harvard Medical School, USA
Session Chair

Emily Liman, University of Southern California, USA
Ion Channels for Sour Taste

Coffee Break

Xinzhong Dong, Johns Hopkins University, USA
Mrgs in Itch Sensation

Paul L. Greer, University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA
Exteroceptive and Interoceptive Chemosensation by MS4A Receptors

Kazushige Touhara, University of Tokyo, Japan
Molecular, Receptor, and Neural Basis for Chemosensory Signal-Mediated Behavior and Emotion in Mice

Isaac Chiu, Harvard Medical School, USA
Short Talk: Sensory Neuron Interactions with Bacteria in Immunity and Pain

Hitoshi Sakano, University of Fukui, Japan
Short Talk: Sema7A/PlxnC1 Signaling Mediates Olfactory Imprinting during the Critical Period in Mice

13:00—14:00
Lunch

Atrium
13:15—15:15
Poster Session 1

2nd Floor
15:15—16:45
Workshop 1

Auditorium
David D. Ginty, HHMI/Harvard Medical School, USA

Swetha Murthy, Oregon Health and Science University, USA
OSCA/TMEM63 Are an Evolutionarily Conserved Family of Mechanically Activated Ion Channels

Naresh Hanchate, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, USA
Connect-seq to Superimpose Molecular on Anatomical Neural Circuit Maps

Esther Borges Florsheim, Yale University School of Medicine, USA
Immune-Mediated Allergen Sensing Controls Avoidance Behavior

Chuchu Zhang, Harvard Medical School, USA
Molecular Dissection of the Area Postrema and its Role in Nausea

Fred Schwaller, Max Delbruck Centrum, Germany
Ush2A Is a Cutaneous Vibration Sensor in Mouse and Man

Annie Handler, Rockefeller University, USA
Distinct Dopamine Receptor Pathways Underlie the Temporal Sensitivity of Olfactory Associative Learning

16:45—17:00
Coffee Available

Atrium
17:00—19:00
Structure and Function of Mechanoreceptors

Auditorium
* Melanie Samuel, Baylor College of Medicine, USA
Session Chair

David Julius, University of California, San Francisco, USA
Natural Products as Probes of the Pain Pathway: From Physiology to Atomic Structure

Ardem Patapoutian, The Scripps Research Institute, USA
How do you Feel the Force?

Jeffrey R. Holt, Boston Children's Hospital, USA
Function, Dysfunction and Restoration of TMC Channels in the Inner Ear

David A. Yarmolinsky, Boston Children's Hospital, USA
Short Talk: Optical Analysis of Spontaneous Nociception

Gregory Bryman, Harvard Medical School, USA
Short Talk: High-Fidelity Signal Transmission through Foveal Photoreceptors

19:00—21:00
On Own for Dinner


SUNDAY, MARCH 17

08:00—09:00
Breakfast

Atrium
08:30—09:00
Poster Setup

2nd Floor
09:00—17:00
Poster Viewing

2nd Floor
09:00—12:00
Cell Biology of Sensory Neurons

Auditorium
* Kara Marshall, Baylor College of Medicine, USA
Session Chair

Lisa Stowers, The Scripps Research Institute, USA
Hormonal Control of Pheromone-Sensing Neurons

Melanie Samuel, Baylor College of Medicine, USA
The Molecular Basis of Retina Development and Repair

Coffee Break

Brendan Lehnert, Harvard Medical School, USA
Synaptic Expansion Scales the Representation of the Body in the Brain

Nirupa Chaudhari, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, USA
Short Talk: Putative Hybrid Chemosensory-Mechanosensory Neurons Innervate Taste Buds

Wendy W.S. Yue, University of California, San Francisco, USA
Short Talk: Toward in vivo Optical Imaging of Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons and Afferents

Joriene C. de Nooij, Columbia University, USA
Short Talk: Molecular Correlates of Muscle Spindle and Golgi Tendon Organ Sensory Afferents

12:00—13:00
Lunch

Atrium
12:45—14:45
Poster Session 2

2nd Floor
14:45—15:00
Coffee Available

Atrium
15:00—17:00
Genetic and Translational Approaches for Sensory Deficits

Auditorium
* Alan J. Emanuel, Harvard Medical School, USA
Session Chair

Alexander Chesler, NCCIH, National Institutes of Health, USA
The Role of PIEZO2 in Health and Disease

Karen B. Avraham, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Epigenomics of the Auditory System

Andrew D. Huberman, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA
Circuits for Merging External and Internal Sensations to Drive Adaptive Behavior

David Shelton, , USA
Therapeutic Approaches to Chronic Pain

17:00—17:30
On Own for Dinner


MONDAY, MARCH 18

08:00—09:00
Breakfast

Atrium
08:30—09:00
Poster Setup

2nd Floor
09:00—17:00
Poster Viewing

2nd Floor
09:00—12:00
Evolution of Sensory Systems

Auditorium
* Paul L. Greer, University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA
Session Chair

Kenneth C. Catania, Vanderbilt University, USA
Touch and Olfaction at the Extreme: Surprising Insights From Nature's Specialists

Maude Baldwin, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany
Evolving Sweet Taste Receptors

Coffee Break

Elena O. Gracheva, Yale University School of Medicine, USA
Molecular Adaptations to the Unique Lifestyle in Mammalian Hibernators

Slav Bagriantsev, Yale University, USA
Short Talk: Molecular basis of Mechanosensory Adaptations in Tactile Specialist Birds

Kali Esancy, University of Washington, USA
Short Talk: A Multi-Species Model for Selective Pruritus via the Direct Activation of TRPA1

Veronica Jové, Rockefeller University, USA
Short Talk: The Taste of Blood

12:00—13:00
Lunch

Atrium
12:30—14:30
Poster Session 3

2nd Floor
14:30—15:00
Coffee Available

Atrium
15:00—17:00
Early Sensory Processing

Auditorium
* David A. Yarmolinsky, Boston Children's Hospital, USA
Session Chair

Diana Bautista, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Neuroimmune Mechanisms Driving Changes in Sensory Behaviors

Ellen A. Lumpkin, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Epithelial-Neural Crosstalk in Touch Reception

Marla Feller, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Organization and Development of Retinal Circuits Mediating Direction Selectivity

Fan Wang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
A Central Analgesic Circuit in the Amygdala

17:00—19:00
On Own for Dinner


TUESDAY, MARCH 19

08:00—09:00
Breakfast

Atrium
09:00—12:00
Sensory Control of Limbic and Autonomic Systems

Auditorium
* Maude Baldwin, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany
Session Chair

Linda B. Buck, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, USA
Odor Effects on Stress

Nirao Shah, Stanford University, USA
A Neural Pathway for Innate Gender Recognition

Coffee Break

Sara L. Prescott, Harvard Medical School, USA
Diversity of Upper Airway Sensory Neurons

Xin Sun, University of California, San Diego, USA
Short Talk: Neuroendocrine Cells in Lung Sensory Function

Yin Liu, Janelia Research Campus, USA
Short Talk: Molecular and Functional Diversity of Pulmonary Sensory Neurons Revealed by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing

Lisa Beutler, University of California, San Francisco, USA
Short Talk: An Obesogenic Diet Modulates Gut-Brain Communication

12:00—12:15
Program Officer for BRAIN

Auditorium
* Karen K. David, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, USA
Session Chair

12:00—17:00
On Own for Lunch

15:00—16:30
Workshop 2

Auditorium
* Jeffrey R. Holt, Boston Children's Hospital, USA
Session Chair

Wen Mai Wong, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA
Physiology-Forward Identification of Sensitive and Selective Bile Acid Receptors in the Vomeronasal Organ

Lujing Chen, Johns Hopkins University, USA
Cyclic-Nucleotide- and HCN-Channel-Mediated Phototransduction in Intrinsically-Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells

Gen-ichi Tasaka, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
The Temporal Association Cortex Is Involved in Auditory-Driven Maternal Plasticity

Robin F. Krimm, University of Louisville School of Medicine, USA
Anatomical Underpinnings of Broadly and Narrowly Tuned Taste Neurons

Alejandra Fernandez, Oregon Health & Science University, USA
Role of PTEN in Somatosensory Development

Seungwon Choi, Harvard Medical School, USA
Genetic Dissection of Ascending Touch and Pain Pathways of the Anterolateral Tract

16:30—17:00
Coffee Available

Atrium
17:00—19:00
Cortical Processing of Sensory Information

Auditorium
* Chen Ran, Harvard Medical School, USA
Session Chair

Shawn Olsen, Allen Institute for Brain Science, USA
Multi-Regional Cortical and Thalamic Networks of the Mouse Visual System

Stephen D. Roper, University of Miami, USA
The Logic of Taste: Is It Really So Logical?

Gloria Choi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Cortical Dysfunction and Social Behaviors

Daniel Feldman, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Maps and Neural Codes in Whisker Somatosensory Cortex

19:00—19:15
Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions (Organizers)

Auditorium
19:15—20:15
Social Hour with Lite Bites
No registration fees are used to fund alcohol served at this function.

Courtyard by Marriott/Lake Union
20:00—23:00
Entertainment
Entertainment is not subsidized by conference registration fees nor any U.S. federal government grants. Funding for this expense is provided by other revenue sources.

Courtyard by Marriott/Lake Union

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20

11:00—11:00
Departure


*Session Chair †Invited, not yet responded.


We gratefully acknowledge support for this conference from:


Directors' Fund

These generous unrestricted gifts allow our Directors to schedule meetings in a wide variety of important areas, many of which are in the early stages of research.

Click here to view all of the donors who support the Directors' Fund.

Keystone Symposia thanks our Sponsors(s) for generously supporting this meeting:

Allen Institute Merck & Co., Inc.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous grant for this conference provided by:


National Institutes of Health

Grant No. 1R13DC017643-01

Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by 1R13DC017643-01 from the National Institutes of Health. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Special thanks to the following for their support of Keystone Symposia initiatives to increase participation at this meeting by scientists from underrepresented backgrounds:


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Phone:+1 970-262-2690

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Phone:+1 970-262-1179